Arrangement for refrigerators



Sept 24, 1957 K. H. BRQSEMUS Em 2,807,154

ARRANGEMENT FOR REFRIGERATORS sept. 24, 1957 K. H. BROSENIUS ETAL ARRANGEMENT FOR REFRIGERATORS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 25, 1955 A Fig. 3

INVIENTOR L ATTORNEY Sept 24, 1957 K, H. BRosENlus Erm. 2,807,154

ARRANGEMENT Foa REFRIGERATQRS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 25, 1955 Figs INVEQTOR United States Patent 2,807,154 ARRANGEMENT FR REFRIGERATORS Karl Hilding Brosenius, vSaltsio-Bo, and Johan Bergseth, Johanneshov, Sweden, assgnors to Hyresgsternas Sparkasseoch Byggnadsfrenngars Riksfrbund u. p. a., Stockholm, Sweden Application October 25, 1955, Serial No. 542,598

' 4 Claims. (ci. ca -'1114) The 'invention relates to an arrangement for a refrigerator which is combined with a food cupboard or food chamber which in the assembled condition together form a single unit which can be erected on the floor of a kitchen or other room. v

Such cupboards are generally subdivided in the vertical direction into a machine chamber situated at the bottom and containing the cooling compressor with air-cooled condenser and having a discharge vent situated behind the cupboard for leading away the cooling air which has been warmed by the condenser, and into a cooling cham- 'ber with a cooling device which is arranged above the machine chamber. In known devices the cooling air heated by the cooling apparatus can travel from the rear of the refrigerator unit, above the said unit, under an intermediate floor situated between the refrigerator and a food cupboard located thereabove, and can be discharged through a discharge vent on the front side of the cupboard.

This known arrangement has a number of disadvantages. For example the space required for the refrigerator has to be much greater than the external dimensions of theV refrigerator units so that the aforesaid air ilow can travel without any considerable resistance, If it is also borne in mind that the walls of the refrigerator must 'be ,tof a certain thickness, it will be readily yappreciated .that the said refrigerator requires an amount of space which compares unfavorably with the effective cooling space. Another disadvantage is that the heated air on its way from the refrigerator passes along the underside of the food cupboard and thereby warms the inside of the food cupboard. A third disadvantage, finally, is that the air duct underneath the intermediate floor takes up a considerable amount of the height of the cupboard above the door of the room, at the Very place where storage space is most easily accessible.

The object of the invention is to eliminate these disadvantages and it is characterized essentially by the fact that the cupboard unit comprises at the bottom, in the vicinity of the oor, an inlet for cooling air which flows to the cooling apparatus and then through a Yvertical duct which is arranged on the rear side of the refrigerator and of the food cupboard situated thereabove, throughout the entire height of the latter cupboard, and communicates with an air outlet at the upper end of the .latter cupboard in the vicinity of the ceiling of the room.

In quite a general sense it can be said that the combination of refrigerator and food cupboard according -to the invention is characterized by such an arrangement of the cooling'apparatus and such an arrangement of the air duct system for feeding cooling air to the cooling apparatus, that the more easily accessible parts of the composite cupboard can be used to the maximum for the actual storage offood to a greater extent than vin the case of known devices, without the cooled compartments being detrimentally aifected by the air which is ywarmed at the cooling apparatus. This is achieved-broadly speakingon the one hand by constructing the air duct system ice in such a manner that the spaces which are more difficult of access and are of less value for storage purposes are utilized to a particularly high degree, these spaces being, in the case of a cupboardextending over the lwhole height of a room, the space directly adjacent the floor of the room, adjacent the ceiling, and the back portion of the whole cupboard. Morever, in addition to the air duct system being constructed in this manner, certain elements in the cupboard are so constructed and the air ilow in the air duct system is so arranged that the composite cupboard according to the invention has particularly advantageous cooling properties, more especially as regards the upper part of the composite cupboard, which part is not machine-cooled.

The air duct system comprises an inlet for the admission of ordinary room air which is arranged in the immediate vicinity of the floor in the base portion of the composite cupboard, so that no useful space is used up for this part of the air duct system. The heat-dissipating element (condenser) of the cooling apparatus is arranged above the said air inlet in the lower part of the composite cupboard in such manner as to communicate as directly as possible with the air inlet of the air duct system. The space in which the condenser is situated can be screened at the top by means of a cover plate which forces the inflowing cooling air to travel effectively about the condenser and which, expediently constructed as a shelf plate, at the same time divides the cooling apparatus chamber and the useable storage space of the composite cupboard. The air duct system extend-s from the aforesaid inlet to an air duet which is arranged at the rear of the composite cupboard and which opens immediately below the ceiling into an outlet arranged at the very top of the composite cupboard where the air, which has been warmed in flowing past the cooling apparatus, is allowed to escape again into the room through a grating or other air-permeable front part having an lappropriate different appearance, above the food cupboard. It will be appreciated that this part of the air duct system also uses a part of the cupboard close to the ceiling which practically cannot be used for the storage of food. Therefore vthe air duct system is located exclusively in parts of the cupboard which cannot be used for storage purposes thus leaving the greatest possible amount of useful space for a given cupboard size. The air duct system which has been described hereinbefore also enables the composite cupboard to be given a pleasant frontal appearance since both the air inlet and the air outlet can be located in the immediate vicinity of floor and ceiling ends of the cupboard. Known arrangements of the air duct system do not have this advantageous combination of a favourable arrangement of both the inlet and the outlet.

As will be seen from theforegoing, the composite cupboard according to the invention has an air duct the height of which ycorresponds to the total distance between theoor and the ceiling, i. e. to the greatest possible vertical distance in a house. This air duct according to the invention has an advantageous construction from the aerodynamic point of View, with the minimum possible resistance to the passage of the air and with comparatively considerable throughow surfaces for'the air inlet and outlet. The condenser of the cooling apparatus is expediently arranged at the point at which it comes into contact with the coolest possible air, namely down by the oor of the room. This fact alone aifords a particularly advantageous cooling effect as compared with the known constructional forms, which can also be expressed in this way: that the air which `is warmed upon flowing past the condenser is warmed to the least possible extent thereby.

ThisV advantageous condition is still further increased according to the invention by the favourable arrangement of the condenser at the bottom of the air duct system, and also by the fact that the whole air duct extends in the vertical sense for the considerable distance. Owing to its .great 11eight,.the vertical air duct in the composite cupboard according to the invention allows maximum natural air flow through the air duct system. The driving force for this is equal to the difference in weight between the warmed lcolumn of air in the vertical duct and a corresponding column of air outside the composite cupboard. Other circumstances being equal, the suction force corresponding to this difference in weight is directly proportional to the total height of the vertical air duct. The arrangement according to the invention, wherein the air duct utilises the whole of the vertical distance between oor and ceiling, therefore affords, in conjunction with the aerodynarnioall'ly advantageous shape of the air l duct, the maximum pre-requisites for a powerful natural flow of cooling air throughl the cooling machinery. Vice versa, this means that the increase in temperature of the cooling air caused by the condenser :as said air passes by the said condenser is relatively small, which increases the effectiveness of the cooling device and lowers the operational cost thereof. In addition, there is the advantage that the air flowing along the back of the composite cupboard has the least possible temperature-raising effect on the upper parts of the composite cupboard, which are also used for the storage of food.

This behaviour of the cooling air, which is so advantageous from this point of View, can also be further improved by heat-insulating the rear wall of the food cupboard from the rear air duct, and this heat-insulation, as compared with the heat-insulation between the upper part of the composite cupboard and the refrigerator 1ocated therebelow, will then be suitably adapted so that the heat transfer from the food Icupboard to the refrigerator is greater than the heat transfer from the air duct located behind the food cupboard to the said cupboard. The result of this arrangement is that the food cupboard loses considerable quantities of heat, which corresponds to lowering the temperature of the food cupboard with respect to its surroundings. This effect is of course particularly marked in the lower part of the food cupboard adjoining the refrigerator. Thus the food `cupboard also forms, especially in its lower portion, a suitable compartment for the preservation of foods, even if the temperature is, of course, higher than in the refrigerator. The combination of food cupboard and refrigerator according to the invention differs advantageously in this respect from known constructional forms of food cupboards having a special refrigerator disposed therein, for in the latter case the warm air rising from the refrigerating apparatus generally warms instead of cooling the food cupboard situated above the refrigerator. This last-mentioned characteristic constitutes another advantage of the composite cupboard according to the invention, an advantage which is of material importance.

The invention wilfl now be described in more detail with reference to the drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a front view of a combined refrigerator and food cupboard according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken through said cupboard,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the cooling chamber of the said cupboard on the enlarged scale,

Fig. 4 shows a food cupboard by itself, and

Fig. 5 shows a refrigerator by itself, this refrigerator being adapted to be installed under the food cupboard according to Fig/4.

The cupboard (Figs. 1 3), is subdivided, in a manner which is a feature of the invention, by intermediate floors 1 and 2 into a machine chamber 3, a cooling chamber 4 and a fresh-air food storage compartment 5. All these compartments aire adapted to be closed at the front of the cupboard by doors 6, 7 and 8, respectively, these beingillustrated in Fig. l only. The cooling chamber is heat insulated by insulating intermediate floors 1 and 2, insulated side walls 9a yand 9b, an insulated rear wall portion 10a, and the door 7, which is likewise insulated. The food storage compartment 5 is heat-insulated along the rear wall 16!) and the roof 11, and communicates with the outer air through a valve opening 12.

Arranged in the machine chamber 3 is a compressor 13 and a condenser 14, whilst in the cooling chamber 4 there is located a cooling device 15, which is connected to the compressor 13 in a hermetically sealed and nondetachable manner by a conduit 16. Cooling air is supplied to the condenser through an opening 17 in the base 13 of the cupboard and `an opening 19 in the door of the machine room; the cooling air is so guided by a cover plate 20 constructed as a tray plate that it passes around the condenser on its way to a vent 21 which is provided for the discharge -of the warmed air at the rear side of the refrigerator. Both the plate 20 and the conduit 16 are securely connected to a frame piece 22, which, t0- gether with the whole cooling unit can be removed from the cupboard. The latter is therefore readily accessible when inspection, repairs and the like are necessary.

The rear of the cupboard comprises two side bars 23a and 23b which project from the plane of the cupboard backwardly therefrom in such manner that a closed duct 25a is formed between the wall 24 and the cupboard when the cupboard is placed with these bars against the wall of the room. Through the said duct, warmed air which has been used for cooling is guided from the vent 21 upwardly along the rear of the cupboard. The air duct is then continued above the cupboard along a horizontal part 25b which is formed between the roof 11 of the cupboard and the kitchen or other room ceiling, and bars 26a and 26h, and communicates with a discharge vent 27.

The arrangements described hereinbefore allow considerably greater refrigerator space, within given outer dimensions, than is possible with the known arrangements heretofore mentioned.

The food storage compartment 5 is cooled from the bottom instead of being warmed as is the case with the aforesaid known arrangements. It is true that the rear wall of the food compartment is warmed, but it has been found that it is easy t0 adapt the insulation in such a way that the cooling effect from the bottom is greater than the heating effect from the rear wall.

Finally, the novel arrangement permits of both cheaper and more stable cupboard construction, since double walls can be disposed with, and since the walls of the cooling chamber serve directly as carrying walls which must be in any case of particularly strong construction in order to meet the requirements of heat insulation.

In order to make the best use of these circumstances, according to one constructional fonn of the invention these walls are made with an outer wall consisting of two layers glued together, the outer layer 28 consisting of the normal wall material used for food cupboard walls, e. g, hardwood fibre `sheeting or the like, whilst the inner layer 29 consists of an air-tight, corrosionresisting foil, advantageously aluminium foil, the latter being -glued to the outer layer. This provides a comparatively vcheap wall of good strength and rigidity resistant to corrosion, and absolutely air-tight, thus effectively preventing the access of damp air to the insulation of the cooling chamber.

The details of the constructional form of the invention as described and illustrated can, of course, be modified in various ways within the scope of the invention.

For example it is expedient,` but not necessary, for the bars 23a, 23b, 26a, 26b to form parts of the cupboard itself. AThese bars can also be xed to the wall or ceiling of the room. The last-mentioned bars 26a, Z6b may also be dispensed with. The main point is that the air duct system according to-the` invention should be retained.

The cupboard itself can also be constructed so as to be divisible, for example along the line a-a (Fig. 2).

According to Fig. 4, the food compartment can also be constructed separately and provided with a lower compartment 30 intended for accommodating a refrigerator unit 31 according to Fig. 5. The compartment 30 is bounded laterally by a lower extension of the side walls of the food compartment, whilst the compartment 30 is not provided with a rear wall. The refrigerator 31 (Fig. 5) has its own side walls and is fitted into the compartment 30, so that it takes up substantially the same position as is shown in Fig. 2. As compared with known refrigerators, this refrigerator does not have an air exchange grating.

The construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5, is, inter alia, advantageous in those cases where it is desired to produce the refrigerators in a factory independently of the manufacture of the wooden parts.

The compartment 32 above the condenser can be used as a storage space.

What we claim is:

l. A food cupboard comprising in combination a bottom unit, containing a compressor and a condenser of a cooling apparatus, a refrigerating chamber above said bottom unit and containing an evaporator for said cool- 25 ing apparatus, a food storage chamber disposed directly above said refrigerating chamber, the height of the whole cupboard substantially corresponding -to the total of the heights of said bottom unit, refrigerating chamber and food storage chamber, an air inlet at the bottom of said bottom unit below said condenser, an air duct connecting the space above said condenser with an air outlet at the upper end of said cupboard for conducting air from said air inlet through said condenser to said air outlet, :said air duct extending substantially from bottom to top of said cupboard at the rear side thereof.

2. A food cupboard according to claim 1, wherein an auxiliary food storage shelf is provided in said bottom unit above said condenser, said shelf being located to guide the cooling air from said inlet in effective contact with said condenser.

3. A food cupboard according to claim l, wherein said air duct is confined between the rear wall of the cupboard and two side edge bars extending backwardly beyond said rear wall, and a wall of the room in which the cupboard is placed.

4. A food cupboard according to claim 3, wherein said rear wall facing said air duct is provided with heat insulation means.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,182,153 Kucher Dec. 5, 1939 2,539,612 Earle Jan. 30, 1951 2,660,505 Eck Nov. 24, 1953 

